Thailand inbound tourism plummeted in February, recording a 44% decline.
It was dragged down by the collapse of its main China market which saw arrivals decline by a massive 85%, according to TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn.
Last week Yuthasak said visitor numbers could decline by about 6 million this year, but an updated forecast is even more depressing.
‘If the virus situation bottoms in May’ the number of foreign visitors could decline to 30 million this year from 39.8 million in 2019.
Tourism is a key industry which brings in more than US$60 billion and accounts for about 11% of GDP.
Last year it attracted 11 million visitors from China.
Thailand has imposed entry restrictions with a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for travellers from parts of mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, South Korea, Italy and Iran.
